Miyamoto mulls Retro Studios Zelda "collaboration"

Nintendo legend Shigeru Miyamoto has suggested US developer Retro Studios could collaborate with Nintendo on a future Zelda game.

Wholly owned by Nintendo, Retro Studios was responsible for reinventing the Metroid franchise on GameCube with the critically-acclaimed Metroid Prime games.

More recently, Retro developed side-scrolling platformer Donkey Kong Country Returns for Wii and aided Nintendo in getting Mario Kart 7 ready for Christmas by buffing up that game's retro courses.

"As you know, we have already collaborated with Retro for the Metroid Prime series in the past," Miyamoto told Wired. "And I think when we talk about any other franchise, Zelda might be a possible franchise for that collaboration."

It wouldn't be the first time Nintendo has contracted another developer to help on a Zelda game. Capcom co-developed Oracle of Seasons/Ages for Game Boy Color, and Minish Cap for GBA, while Xenoblade studio Monolith Soft worked on the latest Zelda, Skyward Sword.

"People often say that videogames made by Western developers are somehow different in terms of taste for the players, in comparison with Japanese games," Miyamoto continued.

"We were able to join forces in order to realize a variety of different courses, a variety of different tastes. I think that's one reason how it worked out well between a Japanese development team and a Western development team," Miyamoto explained.

Retro Studios has already announced it is working on a game for Nintendo's upcoming Wii U console - "a project everyone wants us to do".